A nationwide poll reveals that while we may appear to live in a celebrity-obsessed world, 80% of us say we are not influenced by celebrity endorsement when it comes to purchasing health and beauty treatments. Instead, over 70% of women surveyed said they trust online reviews posted by the general public and that they make their health and beauty purchases based on their peers’ recommendations.

The Feel Gorgeous Poll* commissioned by Wahanda, the world’s largest online health, beauty and wellbeing specialist, asked 1,700 women aged 25 to 54 about their health and beauty treatments.

The poll found that 68% of us are desperate for a lifestyle change to reduce our stress levels, although 80% of us didn’t feel we could give up alcohol to do this.  What’s more, we feel that modifying our eating habits can have a greater effect on our wellbeing than exercise.  It’s no surprise then to find out that our favourite treatment is massage (37%) because it is relaxing and helps us to unwind.

The poll further reveals that we believe in the power of ‘good hair days’, with the majority of us booking a haircut or colour every 9 weeks. However, when it comes to body hair, while we might think a Brazilian or Hollywood is now the norm, we are instead opting to be a little more hirsute by stretching out our professional hair removal to just 2 or 3 times a year.

Commenting on the poll, Lopo Champalimaud, CEO of Wahanda said: “This shows the power of online reviews and forums and their reputation as a trustworthy source of information. People want to engage with like-minded people and sites like Wahanda provide this facility.  Furthermore, it gives users a feeling of belonging and wanting to share their own experiences to the benefit of others. We created Wahanda as a space to inspire, advise and fulfill our visitors’ health, beauty and wellbeing requirements and we’re delighted to see so many people benefiting from this.”

Voted ‘Best Online Beauty Site’ by ELLE UK, Wahanda is the world’s leading marketplace for health, beauty and wellness attracting over 750,000 UV a month. With more spas, salons, treatments and practitioners listed than any other site, Wahanda offers an interactive community allowing customers to voice recommendations, write reviews and connect with industry experts. As well as inspiring content, Wahanda offers savings on spa breaks with real-time booking functionality, thousands of health, beauty and fitness offers, daily MobDeals plus their signature Beauty and Spa Gift Vouchers, which are redeemable at over 900 destinations nationwide.

Between 10th and 16th October 2011, Wahanda hosts ‘Feel Gorgeous Week’, a celebration of all things wellbeing with seven days dedicated to making the nation look and feel its very best.

For further information visit www.wahanda.com.

Big congratulations to Ragdale Hall owners Michael Isaacs and Penny Nesbitt, who recently celebrated twenty one years running their award-winning spa. We hope there was lots of cake in honour of the occasion!

Ragdale Hall was first opened in 1973 by Slimming Magazine, but was bought in 1990 by Michael Isaacs and Gary Nesbitt (Penny’s late husband). Since then the spa has seen the introduction of a variety of new facilities, including the impressive Thermal Spa, which opened in 2007. Featuring an unusual candle pool and a waterfall pool, the Thermal Spa is the perfect place to relax, unwind and refresh the body.

Over the years, Ragdale Hall has won a number of well-deserved awards, including the Best Spa in Europe 2007, Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Spa Awards 2010 Favourite UK Spa Retreat and Sunday Times Travel Magazine’s Readers’ Awards – Favourite UK Spa 2010.

Michael Isaacs says, ‘Ragdale Hall is a very special place and Penny and I are very proud to have been its custodians for the last 21 years. We have an incredible band of very loyal staff, many who have been with us from day one.  We are also very grateful for the support of so many loyal guests who come back time and time again’.

Fancy a celebratory trip to Ragdale Hall? Why not treat yourself to a pampering spa break. And whilst you are there, grab a copy of ‘Ragdale Hall – The Life and Times of an English Country House’ from the boutique and learn all about the Hall’s fascinating history.

So with all of this beautifying going around, we thought we’d better step up to the mark and indulge in a little makeover ourselves. Can’t go letting the side down by looking shabby, can we?

We’ve got six big changes for you:

• A brand spanking new homepage, tailored to where in the world you are
• A shiny new bestsellers page
• A beautiful new spa breaks page
• A sparkling new spa days page
• A gorgeous new hair and beauty page
• And a delightful new detox and fitness page

It’s all designed to make things much easier for customers to get what they want, where they want it, for the best possible price. Who can argue with that? And don’t worry, as a supplier, if your products are popular they’ll be instantly visible from the main pages – no more searching through the site to find the bestsellers. Clients will also find it much easier to search by location now, so you’ll get more local customers through your doors, who are more likely to keep coming back. We look good from all angles…

Phew. We’re exhausted from all of this pampering. While we bask in our new-found gorgeousness, wander around the site and take advantage of all the beauty deals we’ve got going for you as well – and don’t forget to let us know what you think of our makeover by tweeting @Wahanda. We quite like compliments, you know…

The wellness tourism sector has expanded rapidly over the last decade, with destination spas around the world experiencing a massively increased demand for wellbeing-driven getaways. New venues have been consistently springing up, hoping to capitalise on the hunger for health-boosting holidays, but at the forefront of the global growth is Healing Hotels of the World, an esteemed professional network of luxury wellness centres that spans five continents and 25 different countries.  

To gain an insight into industry developments and their sustainability, Wahanda recently spoke to Anne Biging, CEO of the Healing Hotels partnership, about her thoughts on what is driving the international boom, the changing perception of health in society and the direction her own business and personal wellness paths are about to take.

Find out what Anne had to say by reading the full interview here, and be sure to check out her wellness profile to see just what makes her tick.

When the Christmas indulgences have been and gone it’s time to go cold turkey and indulge your body for the better. Wahanda has all you need to plan your detox, so you can flush away toxins and feel fresher than ever with just a click of your mouse. From spa retreats, health farms and transformation programmes to help you lose weight and feel good on the inside to spa detox treatments that offer a quick fix on the outside, start the New Year as you mean to go on. Plus if you can’t bear to spend your post-Christmas budget on losing those festive pounds, we’ve got plenty of free fitness deals & gym passes to get you on the right track.

Spa Retreats, Health Farms and Fit Camps

• 7 Night Fit Camp at Champneys, Hampshire, Bedfordshire or Leicestershire, £950

• 5 Day Luxury Transformation Retreat at Brandshatch Place, Kent, £1350

• Wellbeing Breaks in Europe: France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey from €102

Spa Detox Treatments

• Colonic Hydrotherapy Treatment at Hydrohealing, London, £80

• Stimulating Hip & Thigh Treatment at Spa Co Urban Oasis, Manchester, £68

• Enzyme Body Firming Treatment at DestinationSkin, Nationwide, £25

• Enlighten Body Detox Package at Dove Spa, Nationwide, £35

Free Fitness Deals & Gym Passes

• Free Gym & Health Club Passes, Nationwide

• Free Power Plate sessions, Nationwide, worth up to £30

• Free Pilates Sessions, London, worth £25

• Plus, find a Personal Trainer near you for one on one advice and fitness programmes.

For great detox offers, ideas and treatments, visit www.wahanda.com/detox

For further information or high res images please contact Judy on press@wahanda.com

What is Wahanda?
If the Internet had a speed dial button for health, beauty and wellness, Wahanda would be number one. Wahanda is doing for wellbeing what Amazon did for online retailing – providing an intuitive and easy-to-use website to learn about treatments (everything from acupuncture, facials and massages to Pilates, Botox and personal training), share ratings and reviews, and book the hottest deals, gifts and offers from the most comprehensive listing of spas, salons, studios and fitness centres across the globe, all with the simple click of a mouse. Wahanda was named in ELLE’s top ten beauty websites 2009.

NOTES TO EDITORS
1.    All packages and deals mentioned can be found on Wahanda.com
2.    Prices correct at time of release.

Wahanda is always dedicated to health, beauty and happiness whatever part of our world you’re in. That’s why we support charity: water on their mission to help provide clean and safe drinking water to deprived communities around the world. One billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water, a statistic which we’d prefer to not exist. To support this amazing cause we will give £1 for every review you write in our buzzing community to help fund a charity: water project.

What is charity: water?

Charity: water is a non-profit organisation bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They get their water by drilling wells from the 30% of freshwater that exists in underground lakes. Often the developing nations have no way of getting to that supply themselves, which is where charity: water and the donations made by you come in. 100% of public donations and money raised directly fund water projects, with other sponsors that finance the day-to-day running costs, and since 2007 charity: water’s project has created sustainable sources of clean and safe water for over 600,000 people to date. To learn more about the charity and watch the introductory videos, visit the charity: water website.

Why charity: water?

Clean water is the foundation of a healthy body, and health and wellness are what Wahanda is all about. If you think about it, just £15 can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years. Unsafe drinking water causes 80% of all sickness and disease and 100% of all money raised for charity: water goes directly to fund project costs, which makes helping the cause completely worthwhile. When a well is being built, the local community are engaged in it and participate to ensure community ownership after the project is complete.

How can you help?

We love how lively our community is at Wahanda, so we thought it was about time to give something back. All you need to do is register for a free Wahanda account, find any spas, salons, or gyms you’ve visited, and write a review. You don’t need to be a wordsmith to make it count. For every review you write, we will donate £1 to charity: water to drill wells and provide people in developing countries with clean and safe water. Drilling a well costs between £3,000 and £10,000, which is why you should review your way to helping those who need it.

Good news, you no longer have to go back to the boring gym and pound the treadmills to keep in shape, as the new way to get fit is dancing. It’s sociable, exciting, different and perfect for making the hard job of keeping fit something fun to do.

The rise in the popularity of dancing lessons is largely due to the BBC’s hugely successful celebrity reality show, Strictly Come Dancing. Fitness fanatics are following in the dance steps of previous Strictly contestants such as Claire Sweeney, Darren Gough and Alesha Dixon to use dancing as a fun and energetic way of getting exercise without the monotony of treadmills and aerobics. Plus with the untimely passing of Dirty Dancing’s Patrick Swayze, dancing is in the spotlight more than ever before.

Find out more at Wahanda’s Expert Blog

No need for silicone implants

Forget that amazing non-surgical facelift, lunchtime liposuction and quick tummy tuck over the weekend, because there’s a new op in town. The announcement of a new two-in-one cosmetic surgery treatment has hit the news this week, making that ‘too good to be true’ idea of taking the fat from your hips and putting it back in places you’d much rather have filled out, a reality.

Find out more on Wahanda’s Expert Blog